It’s the reason some Knicks fans woke up with a knot in their stomach. Even the ones ecstatic about their team acquiring Carmelo Anthony remain a little wary.

The franchise’s most important decision was just decided by two men, owner James Dolan and (if reports are true) unofficial consultant Isiah Thomas, who spent the past decade ruining the team.

When Thomas was finally let go after the 2007 season, Donnie Walsh was brought in to clean up the mess. And he did.

Except for Wilson Chandler, every player shipped to Denver in Monday’s blockbuster trade was acquired by Walsh. One of his first moves as president of the Knicks was drafting Danilo Gallinari; Walsh’s final one this offseason was bringing in unknown Russian center Timofey Mozgov. In between, Walsh cleared all the salary-cap space needed to sign Amar’e Stoudemire this offseason and afford Anthony’s soon-to-be-signed three-year, $65 million extension.

Walsh also signed undervalued point guard Raymond Felton, another valuable piece in this trade puzzle.

Thomas, while simultaneously coaching Florida International University, whispered sweet nothings into Dolan’s ear, making sure the Knicks did whatever it took to land Anthony. They paid a heavy price that was worth it, even if Anthony could have been had for much cheaper.

Reports broke on Feb. 6 that the Knicks, Nuggets and Timberwolves were in discussions on a three-team deal in which the Knicks would give up little-used Anthony Randolph, restricted free agent Wilson Chandler, and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract. This would have been a dream, but never sounded like a reality.

Two days later — what a coincidence! — another series of reports began to leak.

First, the Lakers were mentioned as a possible trade partner with the Nuggets in an ESPN report. Sure, the Lakers were never going to part with Andrew Bynum — the main piece in the deal — but if they did, the Lakers were a team Anthony would have considered. Then Anthony said if he was not traded, he would have to consider signing an extension to stay in Denver, something he never admitted publicly before. Then the Nets, who had thrown in the Anthony towel in late January, were ushered back into talks.

All this got the Knicks up to a suitable offer, but then Monday the possibility was raised that the Nets would acquire two Knicks players from the Nuggets after the Anthony deal was complete. That got the final piece (Mozgov) added by the Knicks and the deal was struck late Monday night.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov admitted as much in an interview with CNBC over All-Star Weekend after he met with Anthony.

“I think we made a very good tactical decision to force (the) Knicks to pay as much as they can,” Prokhorov said. “So it’s very good, it’s very interesting, it’s very competitive.”

This essentially got the Nuggets all the leverage they had lost once it became obvious Anthony only had eyes for New York. The Knicks could have waited until the NBA trade deadline got closer and hoped the Nuggets blinked. But patience has never been a strong suit for Dolan or Thomas, whose impetuous moves almost always set the franchise back.

But Anthony is a superstar, not a player the Knicks’ misguided brass hope will turn into one (think Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Curry).

So, Knicks fans, don’t let Thomas ruin this day for you. Walsh may not agree with the deal, but if it works, he deserves most of the credit; not Thomas for swooping in or Dolan for finalizing it.

It’s the impatient move made possible by Walsh’s 2-1/2 years of patience.